salokcinnodrog

I use Braid for the majority of my Hooklengths and don't suffer tangles. The Braid I use is Kryston Merlin or BFA Deception. Are you sure your tangles are on the cast or as you retrieve the line? You may find as braid is so supple it just falls in a coil around the lead, and it tangles as you reel in. Make sure the length of tubing you use is about 10centimetres longer than your hooklength. On the swivel to the hooklength cover the knot with about a centimetre of tubing, either silicone tubing or shrink tubing. This will push the hooklength away from the mainline. Also use a stringer, this helps to keep the hooklength away as well. The Superstiff coating Mick recommends is another great way of creating a Concertina effect, almost an extending hooklength.

Right the layout of the Res is this. It is split into 2 arms, one going roughly North/South, one going roughly East/West. The 2 join at the Dam Wall, which does have an Aerator. At the northern end is another smaller dam, and there are several smaller dams along the edges. There are also several inflow pipes from the Sewage Treatment works on one side. Near the Dam Wall is the area where the Sailing Club have their HQ. The northern end, the only section that I have seen fish so far, where I found them attempting to Spawn at the start of May. This arm stretches for about 11/2 miles, (admittedly worked out by time taken to walk length). There is some bankside cover at the far end of the North Arm, trees, but some of it is open. I have climbed as many trees as I safely can, and found some very good possible spots. The Dam at the North end has an area of water that goes from 4feet at the shallowest to depths that I have found of 12 feet, although I have only managed to fish it 4 times. There is prolific weed growth, Silkweed, Canadian Pondweed and some others. I have walked all along the North Arm, which seems to be the least crowded. In 4 trips I have caught 2 Carp and about 8/9 Bream. The Carp weighed 13.8 and 24.12. All I can say is that that is a start. Every fish came on Boilies as I have a feeling that the Carp are taking such large Patrol Routes that I need a Bait to be in the water for a long time. This idea is due to I have followed the Wind and I caught on night 3 of a 3 night session. I may be wrong in this, but I have not caught on single overnighters or 2 night sessions. I have looked all along the Northern Arm for fish every time I have set up on any trip, and have so far always followed the wind pushing into it. While I would happily use a Natural if I could see Carp, the sheer numbers of Bream and Perch make this very difficult. I have got Carp feeding over Pellets and Particles, that I spodded out into what I think was a fish made clear patch in the weed. Any more ideas?

Sounds like a knotty problem! With a braided line never use a Blood Knot. It strangulates the line and causes it to 'go'. I prefer the Uni Knot for braids when tying to the swivel.

Steve (rip), to be honest I don't think you've gone off Thread, you've tried various rigs and methods to prove/disprove a point. I guess you just said in better and more proven terms what I've said on occasion. Locate the Fish Find a food that the Carp want to eat, present it in the right place, and you will catch. Hard waters; The only waters I think of as hard are those with limited stock in relation to their size. Try finding carp on a 167 acre reservoir. Complicated Rigs; Who needs them? just get the location and the food source right. Someday, someone will make me eat my words... lol;)

Commonhunter, I don't know about you, but I KNOW I'm mad. LOL:D . Riphunter, Tongue in cheek comment about your tackle being antique, merely a piece of wit and joviality. When I do a 2/3 day trip yes I do put my Century Sp's on the Buzzers and fish overnight, but anything I catch at night I treat as Bonus Fish. During the day I spend as much time as I possibly can stalking or fish locating... Like you if it won't go in my JRC stalking bag I don't need it. An unhooking mat for a seat, a net that I bought when I was 14, that makes it 21years old, and my Stalking rod. Admittedly that's only about 5years old, because I had a load of gear stolen from my flat. A Daiwa Pro Specialist 11/2lb 11.6 rod that is happy casting freelined floaters and fishing a float 'lift' style. When I can justify it I may buy a 'proper' stalking rod. The number of fish I have caught about 2-3 foot from the bank is far more than I have caught with 'Long Casts' and rods on the buzzers. I used to fish every night after work with just my stalking tackle and regularly caught 6-7 fish in a couple of hours either on floaters or naturals. My 28lb personal best was caught in a 21/2 hour 'session' between work and college. Getting 'up close and personal' I have found that I learn so much more than just sitting behind rods. How fish feed, how they check the bait, just 2 of the things you can see. As for being a proper Carp Angler, I reckon I just about qualify, but only on the numbers of fish I have caught. :D Nick

Steve (ripslider) Again Thanks. My point as well. I much prefer to stalk Carp with basic Tackle and Rigs, although I not quite as Antique as you and your Tackle. Lol:p Seriously my normal stalking method is Lift Float and a Slightly weaker hooklength. I too have found that I can catch as many fish in 4/5 hours fishing than many do in 48hours and often the average size of mine is bigger. I remember a particular occasion at Taverham Mills. My mate Bruce and I arrived at 4 in the afternoon and set up for overnight. He hooked and landed a small double at about 4 in the morning. From 8 oclock to 4 in the afternoon I ended up with 8 fish caught on floaters and Lift Float, the biggest going 17.10. That week there were only 12 fish caught from Saturday to Saturday and I had the most and the biggest of the week. As for using my Century Sp's and Aerlex's, I do that at night when I cast out to continue fishing, after spending as much time looking/stalking fish in the daytime. I know a lot of the theory behind 'Complicated' rigs , but find that in most cases get the fish feeding comfortably and my basic standard rigs work as well as the all singing, all dancing swivel knotted, line aligned, looped fluorocarbon/braid untwisted combi rig. :D

Just a thought to add to this. I know we all have our favourite simple rig that works for us, but any rig tied on Super Mantis, Snakebite or any of the coated Braids is fishing a rig that is more complicated than standard. I know by definition a Combi rig is Advanced and complicated, then look at the Coated Braids. If you fish with the Coated Braid/multistrand rig and remove any part of the coating to create a different effect, then surely you are not fishing with a simple standard rig? I am quite happy fishing Braid with Leadcore or tubing as it prevents tangles, but to use a Coated Braid, the stiffness kicks it away from the Mainline if you are not using tubing or leadcore. Then fishing the last part of the Coated Braids with a hinge/stripped section makes it a 'complicated/advanced' rig.

nicb I agree with most of your thoughts, although I am a firm believer in getting the fish to "enjoy" eating your bait. Once they do that their guard is lowered so often a simple conventional rig will score. As a result I end up the majority of the time using Bottom Baits. I did have an "In yer Face" brightly topknotted Snowman on one rod Sunday as the fish had been spawning and I wanted a visible bait to attract their attention as they left the spawning area, but this is a rarity. I do not rely solely on one rig. I do experiment and try out different things, but often find that I end up going back to my simple size 6/8 Line Aligned Braid Hair Rig, which works on the majority of waters I have fished. I will state though, that I do not fish heavily fished pressurized waters. If I did then i would probably experiment more. As for going on, from the standard hair rig, then the next step is the sliding hair, the D-rig, Savay Loony tube extension, and so on. Don't get me wrong I know there are many more up to date rigs than that, but these are just progressive steps on from the original concept of the "basic" Hair. How many fish would we catch just by going on by going back in time to some of these rigs?

I had 2 carp this weekend on 2 different type of rigs. The 1st Carp was a double, caught on an 8inch Amnesia pop-up D-rig Snowman fished about 2cms off the bottom. The 2nd Carp was 24lb+, caught on a simple line aligned Nailer to 8inch Mantis. Ok on a fairly lightly fished reservoir then sophisticated rigs are not essential. Or do we advance for the sake of advancement? Is it strange that the larger fish came on the easier rig to tie? How complicated do you think we make life for ourselves?

I'm looking for some more info on Costessey No3. I know its 10acres and the largest fish is 41lb at top weight, has anyone got an idea of full stock numbers of fish. how hard is this lake? every time i've walked round no-one has been on there.